Welcome to the Royal Oak Book Store

$27  | add to cart

Alastair Sawday has hand-picked a selection of hotels, B&B's and holiday cottages with unique and beautiful gardens within striking distance of your room. Full details and contact information provided in this guide of over 100 places with gardens to stay.

Softcover 7 ½ “ X 9 ¼” | 240 pages | color photos

$8 | add to cart

IRISES presnts an extensive general history of the genus, and goes on to detail 33 individual varieities of this beloved flower. Each featured bloom is described on its own page and accompanied by fine color photography.

hardcover 8 x 8" | 96 pages | color plates

$12 | add to cart

A handy, easy-to-follow guide to every aspect of making and using compost. Essential guidelines include selecting the right type of container for your compost, making the best use of the particular waste materials you have at hand, and a broad variety of ways to use your compost. Items one might normally discard can help save the environment (and help the gardener save money, too!)

hardcover 5.75 x 5.75" | 74 pages | illustrations

$28 | add to cart

This atlas has highly detailed, with a scale of 3 miles to 1 inch. Each page is titled with its geographical location for easy reference. Wide minor roads, National Trust, English and World Heritage and other hard-to-find places are also shown. There are 100 city, town and port plans, and a comprehensive 31,500-entry index with airports, top tourist site, traffic signs and motorway services listed.

softcover, spiral bound 11.75 x 9"  |  307 pages  |  3 lbs  |  color maps

$18 | add to cart

Getting around Britain by train can open entire vistas to visitors who are not yet quite up to the challenge of driving themselves about the countryside. This book offers many itinerary ideas orginating from London as well as other areas all over the country, including Scotland. Includes current timetables, fares, and info about connecting service across the channel and beyond. Also provides detailed information about the various package deals and passes offered by Britrail.

softcover 9 x 6" | 280 pages | maps and timetables

$35 | add to cart

Definitive reference listing of significant homes and gardens throughout the British Isles. Details properties administered by groups such as Historic Houses Association, English Heritage, the National Trust, Royal Horticultural Society and others; as well many which are privately owned. Includes opening hours, access and contact information and fees.

softcover 10.6 x 8.25" | 560 pages | color photos

FREE to members | $12 non-members | add to cart

The National Trust Handbook - Detailed listing of over 350 houses, castles and lands in the care of the National Trust of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Properties organized by region, with a general index and index-by-county. Shows opening dates and hours of operation, entrance fees (if applicable - Royal Oak members enjoy FREE ADMISSION to Trust sites), facilities and accessibility information and transportation details including nearby rail and/or bus routes.

softcover 7.75 x 8.25" | 416 pages | color photos; maps

$12 | add to cart

This generously illustrated catalog features nearly 370 unique and historic self-catering accommodations in some of the most dramatic and beautiful locations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Stay in "The Tower" on the Blickling Estate in Norfolk, a charming 18th-century thatched cottage in Lincolnshire, or the former 16th-century brewhouse at Hardwick Hall Estate.

softcover 11.5 x 8.25" | 225 pages | color photos and maps

$24 | add to

More than 730 remarkable Bed & Breakfast establishments, reviewed in the straight-forward style that makes the Special Places books unique. Every entry gives complete location, transportation and contact information. Listed pricing is as of the 2012 publication date.

5 x 8.5" | 432 pages | color photos | 2012 Edition

$24 | add to cart

More than 340 unique or unusual establishments, reviewed in the straight-forward style that makes the Special Places books unique. Most listings are smaller, more personalized places however some entries are quite grand. Every entry gives complete location, transportation and contact information. Listed pricing is as of the 2012 publication date.

5 x 8.5" | 400 pages | color photos | 2012 Edition

$24 | add to cart

Over 900 special pubs and inns-all inspected, all special. Includes photos and complete descriptions of facilities and services.

Softcover 8.5" x5" | 528 pages

$30 | add to cart

Explore the history of the collections from the well preserved great libraries in the few surviving Big House of Northern Ireland. These collections survived almost like time capsules, never subject to atmospheric pollution nor heavily used in modern times. Many books contain nameplates, ownership inscriptions, marginal notes and an occasional pressed flower.

Paperback 124 pp 7 ½" X 9 ¾"

$75 (very limited stock) | add to cart

A vibrant study of one of the iconic figures of 20th –century design, whose romantic, whimsical, and wholly original style influenced generations of architects and decorators. Oliver Messel was one of England's foremost interior designers, whose work also spanned the worlds of stage, film, interior design and architecture.

Hardcover 272 pp 12 ½" X 10 ½"

$22 | very limited quantities | add to cart

The Official Guide to the Diamond Jubilee

Softcover 8 ½" x 11 ½"

$30 | very limited quantities | add to cart

Ms. Bedell Smith Spent three years exploring the life of the world's most famous monarch. She presents not only the public side, but also the private side of what it takes to perform the role of a very successful Queen, wife and mother living in a male-dominated world.

Hardcover6.5" x 9.6" | 688 pages

$30 | very limited quantities | add to cart

A Celebration in Photographs of the Queen's Life and Reign by Jennie Bond – one of the UK's most respected authorities on the monarch. Color and Black and White Photos.

Hardcover | 224 pages | 11 ½ " x 9 ¼"

$27 | very limited quantities | add to cart

The author, one of Britain's best known observers of the monarchy, was given special access to Her Majesty, providing the reader with a rare glimpse into the life of Quenn Elizabeth II. Throughout her life she has met with more historically important figures than anyone alive. Color photos.

Hardcover | 326 pages | 6½" x 9½"

$30 | very limited quantities | add to cart

 The official souvenir album to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, charts her life from childhood to the present.  This book has been called her biography in pictures.

Hardcover | 8 ¼” X 8 ¼” | 144 pages | color and b/w images

$30 | add to cart

We are given an entertaining glimpse into the history of England's birth and spread of culture and power throughout the world. Simon Jenkins, the former editor of The Times and columnist for the Guardian is now Chairman of the National Trust of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Color illustrations. Autographed.

Hardcover | 384 pages | 9¼" x 6¼"

$28 | add to cart

That Woman, as she was called by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, was the American divorcee notorious for allegedly seducing a British king off his throne. Born Bessie Wallis Warfield in 1896 in Baltimore, she was neither beautiful nor brilliant , she endured an impoverished childhood-which fostered in her a burning desire to rise above her circumstances. Autographed.

Hardcover | 368 pages | 9¼" x 6" x 1¼"

$35 Autographed | add to cart

Here is a story of the epic breadth and drama about one of England's greatest families-a richly layered portrait of the extraordinary Churchill dynasty.

Hardcover 640 pp 9" X 6"

$10 reduced | add to cart

FOUNDERS OF THE NATIONAL TRUST - is the story of decades of effort leading up to the establishment of a National Trust for Historic Sites and Natural Scenery. Graham Murphy describes the lives of lawyer from London, a tireless tenement worker and a pastor with a passion for preservation, and how they entwined resulting in today's protection of over 350 unique and priceless properties.

hardcover 5.25 x 8.5" | 144 pages | b/w photos

$15 | add to cart

Laurence Harwood has published a book of the letters, drawings, photos and his recollections of his godfather, C.S. Lewis. This deeply personal book is drawn from correspondence between Lewis and his father, mother, and others as well as Harwood himself. Together they weave a portrait of deep richenss, throwing light on some of the lesser-known aspects of the great writer's life and personality.

9.5 x 11" | 16 pages | color illustrations

$26 | add to cart

Knole has been home to thirteen generatinos of Sackvilles. Drawing on a wealth of unpublished letters, archives and images, current master of the house Robert Sackville-West paints a vivid and intimate portrait of the vast, labyrinthe structure and the close relationships his ancestors formed within its walls. Join Robert Sackville-West on a journey through Knole's 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances, 7 courtyards — and through history as well.

hardcover 6.25 x 9.5" | 298 pages | color plates

$20 | add to cart

The authors take the reader beyond fictional Downtown to 25 great houses in England and Wales. Knole is prominently featured in the book and the authors have generously decided to dedicate royalties to Royal Oak's Campaign for Knole.

Paperback 6" x 9" | 130 pages

$12 | add to cart

HARDWICK HALL is the National Trust's guidebook to the historic palace built by Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewesbury (Bess of Hardwick) at the end of the 1500's. Hardwick houses one of the most important collections of Elizabethan tapestries in the world. The Hardwick guide offers a history of the Cavendish family and an informative overview of the Hall's rooms and their contents.

softcover 7.25" x 9.5" | 72 pages | color photos

$25 reduced | add to cart

LIVERPOOL THROUGH THE LENS - A stunning collection of photographs celebrating Liverpool through the 20th century. Born in Dublin in 1898, Edward Chambré Hardman took over 140,000 photographs in his lifetime. Most of his work was dedicated to portraiture, but he also photographed many stunning landscapes, as well as his beloved Liverpool. His house and studio at 59 Rodney Street, Liverpool, is now in the care of the National Trust and open to the public. Spanning the decades from the 1920s to the 1970s, these atmospheric images capture the spirit of this vibrant city.

hardcover 8.75 x 11" | 144 pages | b/w plates

$30 | add to cart

A collection of memories and recipes put together by the staff of Mey as a tribute to the Queen Mother. The Castle of Mey in Caithness, Scotland was the only house ever owned by the Queen Mother

Hardcover 9.5: x 9.1" | 23 pages | Signed

$37 | add to cart

A fascinating tour of whiskies from around the world - from Scotland and Ireland, to North America, Japan, India and more. This is an invaluable guide for the whisky connoisseur.

Hardcover 6.9" x 8.6" | 960 pages

$ 16 | add to cart

$ 16 | add to cart